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Four Candidates Under Consideration To Be The Next Escambia County Fire Chief
April 23, 2021
Escambia County once again has a list of four candidates that might become the next fire chief.
The four are set to meet with county leaders on Friday. In alphabetical order, they are:
- Pascal Arnes — chief, Decatur Township Fire Department, Indianapolis, Indiana. He has 28 years in fire service from volunteer to chief positions.
- Jason Catrambone — chief, Williston Fire Department, Williston, North Dakota. He has more than 25 years experience.
- Billy Cockman — fire chief, Coffeyville Fire Department, Coffeyville Kansas. He served in the Navy for 16 years, and has experience in Florida including Ft. Myers and Jacksonville
- Carroll Spriggs — deputy chief, Annapolis Fire Department, Maryland. He served as a deputy sheriff beginning in 1996 and became a firefighter in 2004.
There’s no word on when a final selection might be made.
“The job will remain open and posted until it is filled,” Escambia County spokesperson Laura Coale told NorthEscambia.com.
Four finalists were also announced in late January, culled from a list of 60 applicants from a nationwide search. They were notified that none were selected and the search was continuing.
Escambia County’s last fire chief, Rusty Nail, was hired in April 2018 and resigned in April 2019.
NorthEsambia.com graphic.
Comments
17 Responses to “Four Candidates Under Consideration To Be The Next Escambia County Fire Chief”
Well i do hope these 4 gentlemen have done their due diligence and research into ECFR. As all on this know it is a true mess and not showing any promise of change from the BOCC,
The administration is spending a lot of money for this Fire Chief search and still after over 2 years we have a Deputy Chief as the interim Fire Chief. in the natural agenda he should be move to the Chief of Department
I do feel personally having retired from the FDNY. Their needs change in many areas of the ECFR. Seems the ECFR is looked at as a redheaded step child Department and the BOCC is putting every citizen and business in jeopardy for our safety, not only in the Fire Department but the EMS as well.
Time to get a leader that is not a YES man on the job. One that will take the bull by the horns and begin to hold people accountable for their actions or inactions..
Lets all remember the Fire Service follows a military style chain of command , The Fire Chief sits at the top and is responsible to set up his command as he seeks fit to do so. My question is will the Administration and BOCC going to allow the new man to do that.
I do wish if any of these 4 do get the position they understand what lays ahead for them and will be given the proper Budget and Tools to correct all the issues in a very quick and timely manner..
My comment on bringing in a outsider is this could be a good move, They have no ties to any of the “Good Ole Boy Club”. this can be a good thing unless the Union ad good ole boys decide they don’t like or care for them. Or their ideas of change. Yes they at first will not have any connections to our area but if they are treated as they should be will become good leaders.
We all will see in time what happens. If I were a betting man I would be bet on another year tops for a new Fire Chief without the need change and backing by Administration and BOCC.,
Seriously? Work your whole life as a fireman, risking your life, working asinine shifts, getting paid a dismal salary, only to find out the ONLY candidates who are considered are not even from the payroll?
And the county wonders why they can’t hire anyone!!!
Hire from within…….. have you seen some of them they are the problem! You wonder why Volunteers left look at what’s there. The same clowns that are there are GOBC. Wanna get hired better know someone or be the flavor of the month club. Wipe the command staff and replace them all with someone who buys into the system.
Candidates, don’t get your hopes up. Chances are the process will be terminated and a new search will begin to put you through the entire painstaking process yet again.
Mr. Hatch would have done an excellent job in my opinion. It’s a shame we are at the point that they won’t select someone local who really cares about our area. Mr. Hatch continues to serve and has proven his dedication through the many years of his service starting back in the early 80’s. It seems that quite a few very qualified folks have been passed over.
Easy way to get to Florida and look for another job.
As one of the first four, knowing what I know now, it was a blessing to not be picked! I met a lot of the firefighters during the 2 days I was there and I can say without a doubt, I would put them up against any department in the country. Truly some awesome folks at ECFR. I wish you all the best and sincerely hope you get the leader you deserve.
1. Everyone talks about the GOBC. That’s why there are no locals. No local wants this job because they know what they would be dealing with and the other camp would profess, see, they hired one of their buddies. So which would you want? Neither camp will be satisfied.
2. The BOCC would be hard pressed to “run off” or fire the new FC due to the carousel of PS administrators and FC’s in recent history. How would it look if the BOCC or one of the BOCC got a burr under their saddle about the new FC?
3. IMO new blood is good for ECFR. He may be able to promote the good the “union thug” FF’s do w/ the burn fund and the charity house and the great customer service they provide.
4. Actually place “volunteer” FF’s that are qualified on actual shifts at a fire station to bolster the staffing around the clock rather than just show up when a call goes out or hang around for awhile at the fire station. They would receive regular, consistent training that would benefit them and the community they serve.
5. Help educate the citizens on what, why and how ECFR operates and the actual benefits of having career staffed fire stations. Think ISO and your homeowners insurance price.
6. Foster a better working relationship between ECFR/EMS/ECSO and the like to make incidents and events safer and more efficient.
7. Move ECFR forward and make the salary and benefits comparable to surrounding municipalities so they don’t have a revolving door of personnel. Seasoned FF’s are valuable to you and the crew they are assigned to.
FYI – there have been several minority FF’s, male and female, that have left for higher paying jobs. ECFR hires those who are qualified. So the notion that some may have that ECFR isn’t diverse and inclusive is dead wrong. They were and still are. Pay was the factor in their decision, not because of anything that segregated them.
All comments are on target. History of our Fire Department has shown that out of the area candidates don’t last because they aren’t vested in our area. Someone can’t move from another state and suddenly care about their neighbors. A Fire Chief must be part of the community they serve.
For those who keep asking why they cannot promote from within:
Escambia county has suffered for the past 30 years with a “good ole boy system”. Friends, friends of friends, and now the children of friends have been promoted not for their own merit but for who they are friends with.
Has everyone forgotten the crew of guys from EMS who are all facing fraud charges? Most of them were the former director’s golden children. Fire is no different.
Sexual Harassment, unfair labor practices, on and on it has gone. Get some fresh blood in and raise the standards.
You would be an idiot to take this job. Chief Nail realized this and left before his named was smeared. Chief Grace tried but was to passive. There are some great young aggressive firefighters within the ranks, but with piss poor leadership and poor wages, they will not hang around. Ask Deputy Chief Williams why he doesn’t take the job. Then it might be clear.
Why does Escambia County refuse to promote from within the department?? Are they following the lead of the City of Pensacola in their chief of police search? It is very disheartening that the politicians do not have faith in their workforce and it is extremely unfair to career employees who have worked hard to excel and advance in their respective department. I have no dog in this fight but the lack of support from these career politicians is somewhat discouraging.
Good luck Fellas….. Down here you’ll deal with the “good ol’ boys” within the ranks who resist outsiders/new blood and and the union… not to mention the B.O.C.C. good luck!!!!
Why is it that no one is capable of leading our departments from within? Why isn’t the county cultivating employees through training and education? This question also applies to the City of Pensacola. The city and the county are holding nationwide searches for “leaders” who do not care about this community. They have no vested interest in what happens here. The political correctness is getting old.
And why aren’t we looking local first?
All out-of-state candidates? We already know who the Fire Chief will be. Selection committee too scared not to select the best experienced candidate.
I really don’t understand why the county has to look to outside folks when we have “career” fire fighters here. I’d be rather “bummed” if I was a local professional firefighter with no future of climbing the ladder (pun intended) of promotion to the top. Just saying. Seems like a slap in the face to our senior local personnel to me.